The much-anticipated IPL auction 2018 concluded in Bengaluru on Sunday evening. The event, which saw almost 500 players’ go under the hammer, turned out to be a major success with franchise spending big to acquire their desired players. While there were some heavyweights in the list, the one name that caught everyone’s attention, in particular, was that of Aryaman Birla.

Aryaman Birla, who is the son of Kumar Mangalam Birla, billion-dollar industrialist, remained unsold on day one of the auction but was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh on day two. Aryaman’s father, who is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India has a net worth of $12.6 billion. Even though Aryaman is the son of one of the biggest industrialists, instead of driving fancy cars, he chose to sweat it out in the cricketing field.

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Speaking to Deccan Chronicle of his ambitions, the-20-year-old had said, “I’ve played cricket my entire life. I was eight, maybe nine-years-old when I started playing. I played a lot of sports when I was a kid, but cricket was the one that stood out for me. There was no definite moment when I realized I wanted to pursue it as my career. It was a natural progression from it being a hobby to now playing it professionally.”

The opportunity will provide a great exposure to the youngster

Aryaman had moved to Madhya Pradesh for playing cricket and now will feature in the eleventh edition of rich-cash league (IPL 2018). He will play alongside the likes of Aussie skipper Steve Smith, India’s Test specialist Ajinkya Rahane and England all-rounder Ben Stokes for Rajasthan Royals. Although without much experience, the opportunity will provide the youngster with a great learning curve as he will get to learn from the best in the business.

The left-hand batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler have played only one first-class match while representing Madhya Pradesh against Odisha in Indore in November 2017. Aryaman had scored 153 runs against Odisha in Indore in October last year during the Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy.